Septic tank?

Hi Everyone,

I am considering buying a rural property and it uses a septic tank system.  I have never dealt with this type of system before, so was wondering if anyone here uses one and if they have any helpful hints or tips regarding the maintenance of such a thing?  Also, the house water supply comes from a bore hole well, another thing I have never had in a house before.  I have no idea what I am getting into, so any advice from you rural UK Yankees would be so appreciated! (can you tell I am a hopeless City Girl ) Many thanks!

We've got a septic system that's shared with our neighbors.  I'd suggest making sure your potential house doesn't have to have the septic system certified by the Environment Agency.  Ours did, and it took a little time to make sure it had been done prior to buying the house.  (Apparently it's a major big deal if the system was installed without the proper certifications.)

As for the actual system, thus far I haven't noticed a difference between this system and any other sewage system.  We haven't done anything any differently as far as maintenance goes.  The only hitch is we're not supposed to use bleach for anything; we were told it'll kill all the helpful bacteria in the system, which is no good.

Hope that helps.  I don't know anything about bore hole wells.